


the christmas party

by theresnourieandme



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Christmas Party, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mistletoe, One-Sided Relationship, Panic Attacks, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:28:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23656114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theresnourieandme/pseuds/theresnourieandme
Summary: Part one: things between Ricky and Gina are not the same now that he's back with Nini, but Christmas is a magic time of the year.Part two: EJ takes a step back and watches as Gina gets kissed under the mistletoe by Ricky.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell, Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. let me kiss you under the mistletoe (i wish we were together).

**Author's Note:**

> For Ariel. I hope you have an amazing birthday and that 16 treats you well! Idea borrowed from wqndering on twitter.

Gina had never thought she would have the chance to stay in a city where she felt at home for so long. And yet, there she was, mirroring herself in a mirror not her own, in a house not her own, without her mother trying to make her wear one of her necklaces.

The short, snug skirt and the white shawl, used as a shirt, wrapped her body with simplicity and elegance. She smiled at her reflection and examined herself once more before sitting on the bed and tucking her white tennis shoes in.

A slight knock at the door, and Ashlyn's face popped out of the open chink. "Hey, Ginaaa! You ready? The others are coming."

"Yes, I'm coming too," she replied, eventually tucking into her sneakers. Ashlyn went away, and Gina heard her go downstairs after a few seconds. She got out of bed and tucked her earrings with all the calm in the world. The golden circles were hidden in a second by the natural curls that Gina had decided to keep for that evening. She was ready. She looked again in the mirror and tried to repress the butterflies in her stomach. The mere thought of meeting Ricky after a whole week and telling him she was going to stay made her stomach knot and the feeling wasn't pretty. She tried not to think of the frosty look that Nini would probably reserve for her, even though there was no rivalry between them anymore. Nini had won, at the end of the day: an offer from the school of her dreams, the boy she loved, fantastic friends. But all Gina needed was to stay at East High. Right?

She swallowed and, hearing the voices of the first guests, decided it was time to go downstairs and join the party. It was Christmas Eve, and she couldn't let herself be carried away by negative thoughts, not again. Not like the other parties. She wouldn't let herself.

She went down the stairs, and saw the tall, slender silhouette of what she had learned to consider his older brother that week. Hearing footsteps behind him, EJ turned around with a smile on his face. Without a word, he caught her and lifted her off the ground, hugging her tightly. Gina smiled, her face tucked into the hole in EJ's neck. She felt at home in his arms, as if everything else didn’t matter. Of course, the magical moment was interrupted by new noises. Two people were motionless in front of the closed door, and Gina felt their glances follow her movements. EJ, probably having the same feeling, laid her on the ground and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Gina tried to get rid of it, but then she noticed who was watching them.

Nini and Ricky, their cheeks still reddened by the cold, were studying them carefully.

EJ's gaze hardened, aiming at Ricky, but he avoided confrontation by taking a curious look at EJ's arm around Gina's shoulders. After the fight at Ashlyn's party after the musical their friendship had been broken and Gina hated being the cause of that. Despite everything, EJ wanted to protect her, and wouldn't let anyone make her suffer, especially not Ricky.

The first to break the ice was Nini, although until a few seconds earlier she had studied Gina as if she were an open book. "So, you two...?" she asked, pointing at them, hinting at the full question. Gina's cheeks turned red, and her brown eyes shifted to Ricky while EJ did the opposite to answer Nini with a dry "No". A frosty silence descended between them. The voices of other guests in the living room were low and discreet, but Gina wasn't paying too much attention to everything else.

Ricky's hand was intertwined with Nini's, and he clutched to it tightly. The other, on the other hand, was holding a hat. Not just any hat, but the one Gina had knitted for him about a month before. A knot formed in her throat, seeing Ricky with that stupid hat despite returning with Nini.

_It's just a hat, it doesn't mean anything to him. Or he would have chosen you, not her._

Ashlyn's arrival broke the trance in which Gina had fallen and the embarrassment created among the other three. Still little in herself, Gina let herself be dragged into the living room by EJ's hand holding hers. Almost all the guests had arrived, and Gina took a seat between EJ and Ashlyn. Ricky was practically sitting on the other side of the living room, squeezed between Nini and Big Red. Gina avoided crossing those hazel-colored eyes and that piercing gaze for the next hour.

Time passed quickly, but Gina never found herself taking part in a real conversation. She felt the need to get away when Carlos proposed to play truth or dare, and in a whisper warned EJ that she would be absent for a few moments. The entrance was the perfect place to have some intimacy, and Gina sat down on the steps, waiting for who knows what. She could no longer stand the way Nini rested her head on his shoulder, the way he left small kisses on her forehead. The way they looked at each other, the way they talked. All. She wanted to disappear or, better, to make disappear the feeling of jealousy that gripped her every time. Yet, as much as she would have liked to do that, she could not. She could still feel butterflies in her stomach every time she saw his smile, his hand making its way through the curls ruined by the cold, the light of the room reflected in his eyes. And she hated herself for that. She hated herself for falling for Ricky.

"Hey Gina." His voice caught her by surprise, and Gina found herself getting up and settling her skirt. God, how much she hated being nervous, and especially for a boy. "All right?"

"Yes, I’m fine," she replied, trying to sound as cold as possible. She left, but Ricky's question suddenly stopped her.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Gina knew why. Because Ricky made her feel things that no one else had ever made her feel. Because Ricky was the first one not to be afraid of her defensive attitude. Because his voice drove her crazy. Because they could understand each other with a single glance. And that scared her, because he had chosen Nini. Despite their chemistry, he had chosen Nini. He had chosen to go back to her. And Gina felt tricked, because she really thought she had a chance.

"Listen, Ricky..." Gina stepped towards him. Ricky stood motionless, almost petrified. "Can we just be friends again?"

He nodded and sighed with a chuckle. "I didn't think it would be that easy."

Gina chuckled in response, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm an open book, Bowen." A sense of guilt for the little lie washed over her.

They exchanged an amused look, and Ricky looked up, following with his eyes something until he met Gina's curls. Before she could ask any questions, Ricky approached her and took whatever had fallen out of her hair. A mistletoe leaf. Gina looked up and immobilized herself when she saw the plant over their heads. Without saying a word, she returned to look at Ricky who, to her surprise, took the initiative. His lips rested on her cheek gently, and Gina melted into that simple kiss as if it were the sweetest thing in the world.

"See you later, Gina."


	2. i shouldn't panic (but you're not here).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy birthday emerson! i hope 23 treats you well. (tw//panic attack)

"I'll be right back, I need air." EJ nodded, taking custody of the half-full glass of Coke, and watching his best friend lean over his shoulder to get up. He tried to focus on the party, but his thoughts had been turned elsewhere since the beginning of the evening. Precisely, since Ricky Bowen arrived. After forging a friendship with him that seemed solid, EJ had to ruin everything, as usual. The mere thought that Ricky had hurt Gina made his blood boil in his veins in anger. But despite this, his feelings were still present. That knot in his stomach, that warmth that made him feel at home... everything he felt when Ricky was around him wasn't right. To Nini, Gina and himself. Although he knew he had been acting very badly all his life, he wanted to make up for his mistakes and he certainly didn't think he deserved such pain.

When EJ spotted Ricky leaving Nini's hand and getting up, curiosity invaded his chest. What if he followed him? What if he told him that very night about how he felt when they were in the same room? Would Ricky have judged him? Pushed him away? If so, EJ would have suffered like never before. But what if it wasn't like that? If, by telling him, Ricky understood that there really was something between them? EJ would have become the happiest man on the face of Earth.

Not thinking he could hurt other people with this decision, he got up and followed Ricky, feeling Ashlyn's curious look on his back. The closer he got to the entrance, however, the more he realized he had made a bad choice. Of course: Ricky had approached Gina. _Stupid, stupid!_ How could have he not thought about it? If they'd seen him now, they'd think he was there to eavesdrop. And EJ didn't want to lose the trust Gina put into him. Without thinking twice, he leaned against the wall, trying not to get noticed. Suddenly, Gina seemed to go back to the living room and EJ held his breath. Eavesdropping wasn't like him, but Gina wouldn't tell him what really happened. And he had to know. He had to know who Ricky Bowen's heart really belonged to.

Luckily for him, Ricky took word and Gina stopped, turning her attention to the curly boy. EJ wasn’t able to understand the question, but he leaned over a little to hear Gina's answer. "Listen, Ricky... Can we just go back to being friends?"

"I didn't think it would be that easy." A little laugh came out of Ricky's lips, and EJ smiled at that angelic sound. Damn, that boy always knew how to put butterflies in his stomach, even without his knowledge.

"I'm an open book, Bowen." The butterflies disappeared, and a knot formed in their place. That feeling wasn't pleasant, far from it. It made him feel like a lousy worm not worthy of the friendship that was reserved for him. Not worthy of all the affection Gina had for him and the honesty with which she treated him. Instead, he was hiding behind a wall to hear a conversation of hers, which probably didn't even concern him. He had no concrete excuse to explain his presence, and he felt terrible about it.

Not hearing a word between Ricky and Gina anymore, he peered over the wall. He saw Ricky approach Gina and kiss her on the cheek. He noticed the small mistletoe plant hanging over the entrance, under which the two were standing. A weight crushed his chest, and in the blink of an eye he was about to throw up. His head started spinning, and EJ locked himself in the bathroom as fast as he could. He sat on the cold floor, his back resting on the wall. The arms that clenched his legs to his chests.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

A slight blow to the door, a vague knock, and EJ noticed that he was crying. In the end, he was used to it. He just had to calm down and–

"EJ?" Ricky's voice went through the locked door, and EJ felt that nausea again. _Not now. Not now._ Yet it was impossible to avoid it. He felt the tears continue to go down his cheeks as he gasped in search of air.

Steps on the other side of the door, rumors that EJ couldn't distinguish. The door opened and closed soon after. His head was still spinning, but EJ knew he could trust whoever came in. It was as if the sun had brought him warmth. Long red hair, a scent of roses. EJ closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure, abandoning himself to that feeling of home. A safe and warm hand stroked his hair, infusing him as much peace of mind as possible.

"It's going to be okay, EJ. It's going to be okay." Ashlyn's voice became sharper, and after a while EJ was ready to stand up. He opened the tap water, the cold one, and washed his face taking deep, regular breaths. "Do you want to talk about it?"

EJ shook his head no, and after he had dried his face, he opened the door and returned to the living room, followed by his cousin. He sat down in the same place as before, and Gina took a worried look at him.

"All right, EJ?"

He raised his head to answer her, and crossed Ricky's gaze, if only for a second. Was that a hint of concern that he had seen in his eyes? Maybe it was just an impression. EJ, however, vividly remembered Ricky's voice outside the door, the tone with which he had uttered his name. Despite the panic attack. He wondered if Ricky had them too, perhaps after the evening of the musical, if he knew what it was like not to find the air to take the next breath. But all those thoughts vanished in a second.

EJ found Ashlyn's gaze, worried but reassuring. He took a deep breath in and nodded to Gina, murmuring a "Yes, sure." He remembered Ashlyn's words and tried to impress them well in his mind, repeating them over and over again until it became exhausting.

_It's going to be okay, EJ. It's going to be okay._


End file.
